Maybe We Should Sleep On It
by Norah Rose
Summary: Trust, angst, love, doubt, hope... You know, all the aspects you typically see in a juicy story about Rick Castle and Kate Beckett. Reviews are always appreciated.
1. Reflections

Author's Note: This is just a really quick one-shot type thing. I was bored after the brilliant episode, so here we go. I don't own anything. This is my first posted Castle story, so I'd love any comments! Enjoy!

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"_Maybe we should sleep on it_." Kate Beckett smiled again as she remembered Castle's words.

She was waiting in her apartment for Josh. They had planned on going out for dinner but, no surprise, Josh was running very late. Kate knew he was probably in surgery, saving a life. She tried not to be too angry. It wasn't really fair to be angry. He was here, after all.

Kate sighed audibly.

His lateness did provide some time to think back over the events of the day. Beckett did this often. She liked to remember what she had missed. Where she'd gone wrong. How she could have caught the killer earlier. It kept her on her feet. It was probably one of the main reasons she'd been so successful in her job. Kate Beckett learned from her mistakes.

Unfortunately, these reflections weren't very professionally helpful lately. In fact, the detective usually had a hard time thinking of anything but her conversations with Castle. She didn't want to think about Castle. Past events told her that thinking about him was a bad idea. _He _was a bad idea.

Yet, she could never get him out of her mind.

"_Maybe we should sleep on it._"

Beckett had smiled playfully when he'd said it. She'd been joking. Only joking. And yet, she hadn't really been joking at all. For a fleeting moment, she'd really considered it. She's forgotten all his negatives, forgotten all the risks, all the problems, and just accepted it.

After all, Castle was there. Whether she wanted him there or not, he was there. He clearly cared about her. He stood by her. He was smart and funny, and hell, he was really, really handsome. Really ruggedly handsome.

But then the rational part of her brain had kicked in. Beckett had remembered all Castle's flaws. She'd remembered that he was a cocky womanizer. He was a man that could be ridiculously charming and not mean a word of it.

Then there was Josh.

Charming, attractive, caring Josh. He had stayed here for her. He had given up his dream, his calling… for her. The girl automatically felt guilty. She'd technically done nothing wrong, but she felt guilty.

**Rick Castle is a bad idea.**

Beckett tried once again to reiterate the fact that she knew was true. She's made the mistake of trusting Castle with her heart once before. Kate Beckett learned from her mistakes. Whether he'd known it or not, Castle had broken her. She wasn't about to forget that.

But when Josh finally arrived 30 minutes later, busily apologizing about an important surgery, Kate could only focus on the newly hanging Temptation Lane sign on her wall. She found herself looking right past Josh and seeing the signed poster.

In that moment, Katherine Beckett couldn't think of one reason not to trust Richard Castle.

She couldn't think of any way that he could ever be a mistake.


	2. The End

Author's Note: So a few people have asked for more. I enjoy writing this, so why not? I'll try my hand at writing from Castle's perspective too. He's a bit more difficult for me, but I'll try my best. I would absolutely love any comments. They inspire me to write more!

* * *

This was pointless. Rick Castle had been staring at a blank computer screen for nearly an hour now and still he had gotten nowhere. Mother and Alexis were out shopping so he was left returning to an empty house. He had settled down, intent on writing a few pages on Nikki Heat, but he couldn't seem to focus.

Thinking of Nikki meant thinking of Beckett. Thinking of Beckett meant thinking of Josh. Josh just made him angry. It was impossible to write that way.

Castle did know that nothing was truly Josh's fault. Josh was a decent guy. If he wasn't currently involved with Beckett, Castle might even admit that Josh was a good guy. Decent was enough to admit for now.

He had waited too long. That was the bottom line. Kate Beckett was a beautiful, intelligent, strong woman and he had just waited too long. He should have known that she would never be single long.

She was Kate Beckett, after all.

Castle sighed and turned his computer off in annoyance. He was getting nowhere. He flipped open his cell phone. Just in case. No new notifications. The writer scrolled absentmindedly to Beckett's name in his contacts.

What was she doing now?

It had been a long day. She was probably relaxing in the house. Castle continued to convince himself that she wasn't busy and he soon found himself dialing her number.

"Castle?" She answered, quickly assuming something was wrong.

"Ah, you're busy. I, uh, sorry. Beckett…. I just, nah, you're…"

"Castle," The girl interrupted. "What's going on?"

Castle mustered all his courage. He was usually so smooth. Conversations over the phone really were tougher than they looked. "I was just wondering if you wanted to go out for food. Or, I mean, we could order in."

Kate was quiet on the other line for a moment. "I… I'm sorry, Castle. I'm at dinner with Josh right now." She faltered, as if she wasn't at all confident in her answer. "But thank you." She finished. Her voice was soft and Castle thought she sounded genuine. He was probably only fooling himself though.

Castle's heart fell. Of course, Josh. He always did seem to forget that Beckett actually spent time with Josh. He was easy to forget, with the whole never being there thing. He always seemed to be off saving the world.

"Okay, fine. Have a good night, Detective." He said, catching hold of his thoughts and hanging up before she could even respond. He sure needed a drink.

* * *

Across town, Kate hung up the phone and looked back up at Josh. "That was Castle then?" He asked, his face looking strangely dark. His tone was harsher than the girl had ever heard.

"Yeah, yeah. It's, uh, nothing." Beckett said, trying to brush off the call.

"He's got a thing for you, doesn't he?" Josh asked. He wasn't just letting it go this time.

Against her will, Beckett felt her cheeks growing red. "No, not Castle… Not really…" She let out a sound that was almost a laugh. "We're only friends. Just partners." She finished, feeling extremely uncomfortable with the conversation.

Josh didn't buy it. "You care about him." He stated simply.

Again Beckett blushed, but now she was feeling slightly angry. "Well, I do care about him." She said strongly. "He's my partner. He's got my back and I've got his. So, yes, I do care about him." Her tone was quickly growing defensive.

Josh shook his head and looked down at the table.

"Is there something you need to say, Josh?" She snapped at him, her voice rising drastically.

With a great intake of breath, the man looked back up at Beckett. "I don't feel like you're ever with me, Katie. Maybe this isn't going to work. Maybe I should see if the program will still take me. I don't want to stay here for something that isn't real."

"I knew you would regret staying here. I knew this would happen." Kate answered quietly.

"You're not mine, Kate. You never were. I wanted you to be. I wanted you so badly that I convinced myself that this, that staying here would make you mine, but it hasn't." He answered. He now had full control of his emotions. This seemed like a conversation he'd had many times in his head.

"I am yours, Josh. I'm here with you now. I…" Kate broke off. She wanted to believe her words, but she couldn't. "Castle… he's just… just a friend. That's all." She tried.

"We both know that isn't entirely true. Have a good life, Kate. Listen, do you need a ride or…?"

"I'll take a taxi." She mumbled in response. Josh dropped money on the table. Apparently he was still paying for the meal, even after this. Always the gentleman, freaking Josh. Kate actually hated that now. He left the restaurant and Kate was left sitting alone, stunned and unsure of what to do.

She could feel tears forming in her eyes. Two plates of uneaten food sat in front of her. She stood, shaking, and walked out onto the street. The tears were threatening to brim over when she slid into the back of a taxi.

She had nothing to go home to. No one to go home to. Before realizing it, Kate had rambled off a familiar address to the cab driver.

Richard Castle's address.

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Author's Note: So, I'm truly not confident in the way I wrote Beckett and Josh's breakup. I wasn't sure at all how to go about it. This is simply my thoughts on how it could work well. Please, please, please leave comments telling me what you think!


	3. Better

**Author's Note: It looks like this has become a full-blown story. That was not my intention when starting this but when inspiration hits, it hits, so I'm just going to roll with it. Enjoy! As always, let me know if you think this is even worth continuing. I'm really open to all suggestions!**

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**

Castle leaned back in his chair and sighed in utter exasperation. Alexis had decided to stay at a friend's house for the night and his mother had hit up a Broadway show and wouldn't be home for hours. Apparently she'd been invited to the after party too. Beckett was busy with Josh. Essentially everyone had somewhere to be, except for Castle.

Sometimes he enjoyed the lack of company. It was the best way to get writing done. Tonight, however, he had absolutely no inspiration. Nothing. He'd been staring at the same blank screen for so long that he'd lost track of time.

He finally admitted defeat and stood stiffly, stretched, and walked lazily to the couch. He turned on the TV for some amusement and found himself grinning to find a rerun of Temptation Lane on. How wonderfully ironic.

Just as he'd settled into his seat, a knock roused him. Upon looking through the peephole, he immediately recognized the figure as Katherine Beckett. She looked flustered. A million questions ran through his head as he swung the door open.

"Hey, Castle." She said with a sniff. Her eyes were red and puffy. She had very clearly been crying. Because he had no clue what had prompted this visit, the man stepped to let her in and then rushed to lock the door. With Kate there was always that possibility of danger.

It was one of the things that made her completely intoxicating, but that, of course, was really beyond the point. What was he supposed to be thinking of again?

"I'm sorry to just show up." Kate spoke and Castle quickly gained back focus. She sat her bag down and took a seat on the couch, avoiding making eye contact with Castle all the while.

He took a seat opposite her and wrung his hands. "I'm not complaining that you're here, late at night, in my apartment… alone. Not by any means. Not at all. Actually this is a fantasy I've…" He stopped talking immediately when he realized that Beckett wasn't exactly in the joking mood. "Why are you here exactly, Kate?" He finished seriously.

She rubbed at her eyes before speaking. "Josh and I broke up." Again she avoided looking into Castle's eyes.

Castle shifted in his seat. "Well, you deserve more than that, Kate." He said, using her first name for emphasis. "You need someone there for you. It was about time that you got rid of him."

"He dumped me, Castle." She mumbled awkwardly, as if the fact was completely embarrassing.

Rick actually did a double take at this. He stared at girl in complete shock for a moment before formulating a reply. "Why the hell would he do that?"

Kate could have been imagining it. She probably was imagining it… But she could have sworn that Richard Castle sounded genuinely angry for a moment.

Now how to answer the question without creating a ridiculously awkward moment for both of them… "He… he thinks we're too close." She said.

"We're too close?" Castle said dramatically. "That's just, well that's… uh, that's the dumbest thing." After considering what Beckett had said, he was having a hard time finding a decent response at all.

"He's crazy. That's crazy." The writer added quietly. "I could talk to him, you know? If you wanted me to… I wouldn't mind." Actually, it was the last thing he could imagine wanting to ever do. He would mind, a lot. But seeing Beckett wronged and upset was just too much. Especially since he could tell that she had shed tears over this. This douchebag had actually made her cry. Truthfully, he wanted to punch that stupid pretty boy motorcycling asshat right in the face. _That _was what he wouldn't mind doing.

Beckett smiled and looked into his eyes for the first time in their conversation. "Castle, I would never expect you to do that. Besides, I needed to end it with Josh. I wasn't… I didn't care about him enough. You know? Not enough to drag him along. I should have ended it when he was about to leave for Haiti."

"Hey, you didn't do anything wrong." Castle cut her off. He could tell she was only making herself upset again.

The detective suddenly noticed the muted television. She laughed. "Really? Temptation Lane?"

Castle smiled a boyish, guilty smile and shrugged. "It was the only thing on?" He half questioned, not at all committing to the defense. She could see straight through it anyway.

"Well," Beckett gestured towards the TV. "I have seen this episode a thousand times and I haven't really gotten to eat. Still up for that dinner?"

"Always." Castle answered with a slight smile and a familiar glimmer in his eyes.

As Kate followed him out the door, she found that she was feeling much better already. In fact, Beckett was already having a hard time remembering why she had been upset. Castle always seemed to have that effect on her. _Except when he's the one upsetting you. _The logical part of her brain reminded her annoyingly that Castle had, indeed, hurt her before. Even that didn't seem to matter now though. That wasn't important at the moment. She felt better because of Richard Castle's company.

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**Author's Note: Please continue to review. Your feedback truly does make my day and mean so much to me. Thanks as always for reading!**


	4. A Decision

**Author's Note: **Short chapter here. I've really rushed to get this one out. It's basically just a set up for next chapter, which I'm really excited about! Please let me know what you think. Comments mean the world to me. At the end of this I'm going to ask a slightly spoilery (in regards to this story) question. If you don't want to hear a possibility of what happens next chapter, skip the last Author's Note. Enjoy!

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Dinner was going good. Really, it was going fantastic. Castle and Beckett had decided on a small Italian place for their meal. They were currently sharing a pizza and a laugh over something that Ryan and Esposito had done.

The conversation was not at all forced between them. It was, as always, something that came naturally. When they fell into talking like this, everything became easy. That was the thing they both really appreciated about each other. Their current friend situation was comfortable. It was easy.

Despite that truth that both might just yearn for something more than friendship, letting go of comfort is not easy. Taking the dive and leaving that safety is something that would take bravery. Something that would take time.

Castle flipped open his phone as Alexis' name popped up on the screen. He was a dad first, always. The text simply read "Night, Dad." Castle found himself smiling at his lovely daughter.

"What's that?" Beckett asked. She was instantly curious at how quickly Castle's face had lit up. And okay, maybe she was a little jealous too…

Castle held the phone across the table and showed her the screen. When she saw the text, all feelings of jealousy quickly left and Kate smiled too.

"Castle, she's adorable." She said, before she'd even realized she was speaking out loud.

Castle looked up at her. His chest puffed out slightly with pride. "She really is." He muttered, shaking his head, while typing a quick reply on his phone.

"She looks up to you, you know." He said suddenly, putting his phone away and looking back up at Beckett.

Before she could help it, the girl was blushing. "I don't know why," Beckett mumbled.

Castle lifted his hands to the table. He rested his head on one and cocked his head to the side in mock confusion. "Why Beckett," He started with a smile. "You are brilliant, engaging, strong, successful, phenomenal, and beautiful… What's not to look up to?" He smiled a boyish smile to lighten the tension but Beckett could tell, there was absolutely no humor in his eyes.

He meant every word.

"Are you always so charming, Castle?" She asked, settling quickly on hiding behind sarcasm.

"It's what I do." He said with a wink.

Beckett rolled her eyes. She never did stop smiling. Rick took advantage of the quiet moment to pull his wallet down and throw money on the table. Kate realized fast that it was more than enough to pay for the entire meal.

"Let's split it, Castle." She said, fumbling for her wallet.

Castle ignored her and put his wallet away.

"Castle!" She repeated, finding her wallet and fishing it out of her purse.

"No way," He acknowledged. "This is on me. You've had a tough night. Let someone take care of you, Kate." His voice was so genuine, so completely and honestly sweet that Beckett decided right then to go back to his place. Maybe she would let someone take care of her tonight. Maybe she would let Rick Castle take care of her.

But as quickly as the night had taken a grand turn, it was all gone. Every thought Beckett had of a good night disappeared when the robber burst through the door of the restaurant, gun in hand, nervous and prepared to fire at anyone that stood in his way.

Kate Beckett instinctively grabbed for her gun.

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**Author's Note: **Again, this has the possibility of being spoilery, in regards to my story, skip if you don't want to know what might happen… If either Castle or Beckett _was _to _possibly _get shot, who would you rather it be and why? I'm curious to here opinions and reasons here. Thanks for any comments. They definitely inspire me to write faster!


	5. All That Matters

**Author's Note:** First off, last chapter I accidentally said "here" when I should have said "hear". Sorry. I just had to correct that. It's been driving me insane. Now on to the story!

* * *

The entire restaurant suddenly fell silent at the sight of the gun in the man's possession. His eyes were wide. His hands were shaking. He was crazed and clearly afraid. All these things added up to one very dangerous situation.

As a cop, Beckett was prepared for this kind of thing. At least, she was as prepared as any girl could be while having dinner with the man she may or may not be rapidly realizing her long standing feelings for. But that was so beyond the point.

Kate reached quickly for her gun, but as she realized just how unsteady the robber was, she discreetly waited to pull it until she absolutely had to. There was no reason for any shootings to happen here. This situation could be controlled. Still Beckett's hand never strayed from the gun.

"Open the register," The robber said, his dark hair falling over his sweating forehead. His hand was visibly shaking as he pointed the gun at the young girl working as the cashier. She fumbled with the money drawer, fear entirely evident in her eyes.

"Open it!" The robber repeated with a yell. The gun moved closer to the girl's head. This was too unsteady. Kate recognized quickly that this was not a situation that would be resolved peacefully. This man was too shaky to just leave.

She whipped her gun out and pointed it at the man. "NYPD." She stated calmly, not faltering at all. "I need you to put the gun down."

The man's eyes widened in absolute panic and he swung the gun around to point it at Beckett. No matter how nervous this made her, she didn't show it.

"You're making a mistake. We both know it. You're young and you think this is what you have to do, but it's not. Now lower your weapon." Her voice was calm and almost understanding.

The robber's hard, scared expression seemed to soften, but he didn't lower his gun. Instead he kept the gun pointed towards everyone in the restaurant and started slowly backing out.

What happened next was so quick that Kate could hardly react. Outside a car backfired. Or maybe it was a wreck. Or an ambulance. Or just some noisy kid. In hindsight Beckett could never seem to remember what the noise was, but it was loud.

A "boom" from the street surprised the already shaky robber and suddenly, shots were fired everywhere. The robber emptied his entire gun into the restaurant and rushed out the door. Without even checking her surroundings, Kate rushed to follow the shooter.

As she ran towards the exit, she found the crowd was rushing back to where she had just been standing. She turned back, just for a moment, just to see what they were all looking at.

Richard Castle was lying on the ground, a puddle of blood forming under him.

Beckett forgot everything.

The gunman.

The other people.

Calling for backup.

She forgot everything. Everything but the man on the ground in front of her.

"Castle," She said in horror, rushing to sit beside him. She found the bullet wound on his stomach and applied as much pressure as she possibly could. She had to stop the bleeding. Castle's blue eyes were wide and confused as they searched her face.

He coughed and splatters of blood covered his face. Beckett tried desperately to stay calm for him. "I got shot." He sputtered, trying to smile.

Even now, on the verge of death, the man insisted on trying to joke. Normally Beckett would appreciate this. She would at least roll her eyes, but now, she was panicked. This couldn't be real. It couldn't be happening. Of all the people in the place, what were the odds that Castle would be hit?

"Someone call an ambulance!" Beckett yelled, whipping around to the crowd that surrounded them. A short, bald man was already fumbling with his cell phone.

Castle's eyes were fluttering when Beckett looked back down. He was struggling to stay conscious. "Hey… Hey, Castle… You stay with me. You hear me. You stay awake!" Beckett gingerly slid her hand under Castle's head so that he wasn't resting on the floor. She lifted him up and kept her other hand on his wound.

"Rick, you stay with me." Her voice was shaking as she looked into her injured partners eyes.

He opened his eyes and smirked slightly. "Finally gonna agree to a date if I do?" He coughed and more blood escaped from his mouth. He was obviously in so much pain that the smirk was more like a grimace, but he was trying to lighten the tension.

Beckett pushed his falling hair out of his face and smiled a soft, forced smile. "Sure, Castle. Sure I will." She mumbled. The crowd around them parted ways as the ambulance pulled up outside.

"You're going to be fine. They're here, Castle. You'll be fine." Her eyes were filled with tears. Normally she would hide this emotion, but it didn't matter now. The only thing that mattered was Castle staying alive. That was it.

She felt herself being pulled away as paramedics surrounded Castle. An arm pulled her close and she looked up to see Esposito leading her away. Ryan was, as usual, right beside him.

"No, no… I need to stay with…"

"We'll follow the ambulance." Ryan interrupted. He also looked very upset. Why wouldn't he be? Castle had captured Ryan and Esposito just as he had Beckett. Well, not in exactly the same way, but they were close.

On the ride to the hospital Ryan and Esposito were quieter than Beckett had ever heard them. It was as if they were afraid to speak. Beckett sat in the back and wiped every falling tear away from her face.

She had to pull it together. For Castle.

* * *

**Author's Note: **So there you go. I just enjoy writing injured characters. It's a good, hopefully believable way to speed up feelings. Please let me know what you think. Reviews keep me writing faster!


	6. Feeling It

**Author's Note: **You know, I had really planned on waiting to write more of this before putting up a new chapter, but what the heck, y'all' s comments have been so nice. Here's a new (short) chapter. And just so everyone knows… this is NOT a death fic. I love my dear Castle too much to kill him. At least in this story. :P

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In the waiting room Beckett paced nervously around the orderly chairs and couches. She'd tried sitting, but she needed to move. If Castle was fighting for his life in there, the least she could do was move.

Beckett had called Martha and Alexis as soon as she'd gotten to the hospital. She was ashamed that she'd nearly forgotten them. They now sat together, huddled on one of the couches. Alexis was crying. She'd been crying since she'd gotten there. Martha had once again reduced Beckett to tears on the phone. She had been disbelieving, and then hysterical. She now sat with her arm around Alexis and her face distant and stoic. Kate couldn't imagine what she would do without her son.

Kate couldn't imagine what _she _was going to do if something happened to Castle.

Josh had come by the waiting room earlier. He'd heard about Castle and he knew how much it would impact Kate. He'd pulled her into his arms and she had let him hold her. She'd hidden her face in his chest and for a moment, she had felt better. There was nothing sexual about the embrace. No charged feelings involved. Josh was just a source of much needed comfort. He'd left soon after getting a call that he was needed for surgery.

Now she needed some air. The only update they'd gotten was that Castle was in very serious condition and that he'd been taken straight into surgery. The internal bleeding was bad. They shouldn't be too optimistic. The doctor had given them that notice nearly an hour ago. Now they had to wait. Just wait. Beckett definitely needed some air.

She rushed out of the room, past Ryan and Esposito, who sat silently in two of the chairs, and headed for the outdoors. As soon as Beckett walked out of the hospital, she was hit with a surge of reporters. She had walked right into a hoard of them. "What is the news on Richard Castle?" "How is Castle?" "How have you been affected by Richard Castle's injury?" "Have you spoken to Mr. Castle?"

Questions surrounded her and despite her usual level-headed approach to situations like this, Beckett panicked. She turned and ran back into the hospital, ignoring every question. She ran and more or less held it together until she'd gotten to a bathroom.

There she crumpled to the ground and finally allowed herself to sob. With gasping breaths, she allowed herself to completely feel the situation for the first time. She cried for Castle. For his family. For herself. She cried for everyone that was affected by this, and there were a lot of people. When the door opened suddenly, she quickly tried to pull herself together.

Beckett rubbed her eyes and stood up with alarming speed. When she saw who was in the doorway, she relaxed again. Alexis Castle stared back at her.

The look of pure anguish and worry on the teenager's face brought a crashing revelation crashing into Kate's mind.

This was her fault.

All of it. Everything was completely and totally her fault. She was the reason Castle had been in danger. If she hadn't rushed to him for comfort, he wouldn't have been in the restaurant. If she hadn't always needed him. Always relied on him. Always trusted him to make her feel better and fix everything. This never would have happened. She had caused all of this. And if Rick Castle died, then Kate Beckett would be responsible. And she would never, ever forgive herself.

"Alexis," She said, her eyes still full with tears. "I am so sorry."

Alexis didn't speak. For a moment she only stared and Kate was afraid that she would just walk away, but then the girl stepped forward and threw her arms around Beckett.

She pulled her into a silent hug and Kate could feel the girl's tears wet on her shoulder. They cried together like that for a moment, both completely vulnerable. Beckett was aware of just how extraordinary Alexis was. Instead of needing the comfort, she was comforting Beckett. Castle had raised an amazing girl. Just as Kate was releasing her hold on Alexis, she heard the girl whisper in her ear. "He made it through the surgery. I came to tell you."

Beckett pushed the girl away slightly to study her face. Alexis smiled very slightly and Kate found herself hugging Castle's daughter again, even tighter this time.

The girls smiled together in relief. They had shared their grief, and now sharing happiness seemed just as comfortable.

Of course, they weren't completely out of the woods yet and Castle would have a ridiculous amount of recovering to do no matter what happened, but he was alive for now. He was strong, stubborn, and alive. Kate Beckett knew he would be okay. He would fight through this the way he fought through everything.

In that moment Beckett had another interesting revelation. All she wanted to do was burst into Castle's room, close the door, and kiss him. She wanted to kiss him because he was alive. Because he was always there. Because he was still there, even after being shot. He would always be there. All Kate wanted to do was kiss the childish, immature, handsome, charming man that only hours ago she was sure would be dead right now.

This revelation scared her.

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**Author's Note: **I hope you all enjoyed! Again, this wasn't a chapter I'd originally planned on even including, but it just felt right. I had fun writing the emotional Beckett stuff. I relate to her so it's always fun to explore her character. Please review! Your comments always make me want to write and get things up faster! Thanks!


	7. Waking Up

**Author's Note**: I'm sorry this is late. I've been trying desperately to get this up sooner but this site has been giving me so many problems lately. Enjoy!

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Back in the waiting room Castle's friends and family had to wait only a half hour more before they got more information on the man.

"He's awake." A tired doctor said to Martha and Alexis. They hugged each other close at the news. Beckett sat behind them in a chair, trying desperately to hear every word the doctor said.

"If you two would like to go in and see him now, that would be fine. He's very weak and he'll need a tremendous amount of rest so please keep the visit calm. I would strongly recommend that no one else visit him at this time. He's on some heavy painkillers and it really won't be long until he's asleep again. There's also a risk of infection, so he doesn't need many people in with him right now. Overall, he's a strong, healthy man and I think he'll pull through just fine. Everything will take time though and you need to understand that."

Kate found herself feeling very conflicted at the doctor's words. On one hand she was extremely happy. Castle was okay. He was breathing and awake and okay. He would be fine. On the other hand, she wanted to see him more than anything. She _needed _to see him.

Martha and Alexis rushed to Castle's room with the doctor. They were gone for nearly an hour. After hearing that Castle was alright and didn't need visitors the waiting room had cleared out. Everyone left in turns. Even Lanie, who had been there primarily trying to comfort Beckett, had left. Beckett was now the lone visitor still in the room for Castle.

She knew it made sense to leave. After all, what was the point in staying? The smallest fraction of hope of seeing Castle kept her there. Besides if something was to happen to him now, and Kate left, she knew she could never forgive herself.

So she waited.

When Martha and Alexis finally left the room Martha was dabbing at her eyes. Alexis looked incredibly relieved. Martha walked straight to Kate and placed her hand on the detective's shoulder.

"Go see him, dear. He's worried. He kept asking about you."

Beckett felt her face growing red, but inside she was pleased to hear that he was thinking about her.

"But he's tired and the doctor said,"

"Nonsense." Martha cut her off quickly. "You are family."

Beckett smiled up at her slightly. It was easy to forget that this woman was Castle's mother. She had been through so much too. "I'm so sorry. About everything." Kate said, trying not to get emotional. "And I… I completely understand if Castle stops shadowing me." She said, voicing one fear she'd had all day.

Martha shook her head and smirked in the direction of Castle's room. "Darling, I couldn't get Richard to stop shadowing you if I wanted to. Now go in and see him. Keep in mind he is on some rather heavy pain killers." Her eyes widened and Kate guessed that he had been less than appropriate during their visit.

"They aren't letting anyone stay over night." Martha said, her voice bitter. "Too afraid he could catch something. Visiting hours end soon, but you have time. Go see him." As Martha turned to lead Alexis out of the hospital, Beckett could swear the woman turned and winked at her. Ignoring the fact that Castle's own mother seemed to be shipping them, Beckett hurried into his room.

The sight of the typically strong, energetic man nearly knocked Beckett to her feet. He looked frail and small in the hospital bed. His face was pale and tired. Although being obviously hurt, his eyes were bright and he grinned at the sight of Beckett.

When he smiled his usual, childlike smile, Beckett already felt better. Even when he was lying in a hospital room in serious condition, he still managed to cheer her up. It was ridiculous really.

"Kate… Dear, dear, sweet Kate," He said lightly, motioning for her to come closer. Yep. Definitely still very drugged up. Still Kate wouldn't dare argue with him. She took a step towards him. He motioned again.

"Come ere'," Castle mumbled and pulled Beckett by the arm until she was barely an inch away from his face. They were _very _close. Beckett was now feeling uncomfortable but she enjoyed drinking in the close sight of Castle. You know, he really was ruggedly handsome.

Kate opened her mouth to ask what exactly Castle wanted but before she could speak, his lips met hers. Every thought Beckett had disappeared as she urgently kissed the man she'd feared for so much in the last hours. She reached up to run her hand through his hair but was brought back to her senses when she heard the heart monitor beeping more urgently.

This was too much. It literally wasn't healthy. Not for Castle. Not right now.

Against everything she was feeling, Beckett pulled herself out of Castle's grip and away from his soft lips. She was out of breath and Castle, who needed rest anyway, was nearly gasping for breath.

"Castle… I," Kate found herself completely at a loss for words. She glanced at the clock on the wall and realized that visiting hours ended in only 5 minutes. "I have to go." She said, grabbing her bag and rushing towards the door.

"Lovely, lovely Kate," She heard Castle's voice trail after her.

Despite being on heavy painkillers, Beckett couldn't deny that Castle was still a stellar kisser.

* * *

**Author's Note: **The more you comment, the more I'm motivated to write. Tell me what you think! I hope the kiss wasn't too soon. It just felt right…


	8. Lies

The next morning Beckett woke early and immediately called the chief. He knew before she said a word why she had called. "Go see him, Beckett. I don't expect you in today. Your partner's down." Kate smiled. Both at the chief's typical kind, yet still firm way of commanding and the fact that everyone now seemed to refer to Castle as "her partner".

"Thank you, sir." She answered gratefully and hung up. Without even taking the time to fully fix her hair or makeup, Beckett rushed over to the hospital. She hadn't heard anything from Martha or Alexis overnight, but she couldn't help feeling extremely worried.

She reached the hospital in record time and found Martha and Alexis already there. They were currently standing outside Castle's room. Beckett watched from a distance and realized they were arguing about Alexis going to school. She tried to listen without being too intrusive.

"He'll be alone! You're telling me to go to school and leave Dad here, in this state? Alone?" Alexis' eyes were red and puffy. Her hair fell limply down her back. Beckett could tell she hadn't gotten much sleep. The teenager was less put-together than Beckett had ever seen her.

Martha rubbed her forehead in exasperation. She also looked extremely disheveled. Her usually perfect makeup was absent and dark circles were visible under her eyes. "You have a lot to work for, Alexis. Richard will be fine. I'll be here."

"You just told me that you're going to the theater!" Alexis interrupted loudly.

"For a moment! Only a moment!" Martha tried to explain, her voice rising dramatically. "Your father wants you to go to school. It's important for you and he knows that."

Alexis rolled her eyes. In the motion she noticed Kate standing down the hall. Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment at the fight she'd witnessed. "Detective Beckett…" She said, stepping away from her grandmother.

"I'm sorry if I'm interrupting. I just… I came to see how Castle was doing." Beckett now felt completely out of place.

"Not at all," Martha said, looking up at her. "He's asleep now but I can scarcely imagine anyone else he'd rather wake up to. Go on in."

Once again Beckett found herself embarrassed at the woman's blunt words. She simply nodded, awkwardly ran a hand through her hair, and headed through the door to Castle's room.

She could faintly hear the two begin to continue their argument once the door was shut.

The room was silent except for the humming of the many machines and Castle's soft breathing. Physically the man had improved drastically from the day before. His coloring was more normal and even his hair seemed to be closer to its usual style. He wasn't so stressful to see and that calmed Beckett.

With no one else around she could study his face and get no perverse jokes or strange expressions. He was nice to just look at. Kate leaned up in her chair to get comfortable but immediately regretted the decision when it creaked loudly.

Rick's eyes opened slowly at the noise. With a guilty smile Beckett greeted him. "Hey, Castle." She said.

He smiled slightly and replied. "Hey, Beckett."

The two held eye contact in comfortable silence for a moment before Beckett looked away. "So… feeling better?" She asked, looking to end the quiet.

"Much. I sure do look like hell." He glanced down at himself and shook his head. The writer couldn't help feeling uncomfortable without his usual polished look.

"Oh, don't worry Castle." Beckett smiled. "You've looked worse."

"Well, that makes me feel better!" Castle said dramatically. Beckett just grinned at him. "Wait," Castle said, holding his hand up quickly.

"Does this mean you like this look? The injured hospital man… Oh, oh!" Castle's voice rose excitedly. "Is this a fantasy of yours? We could work something…

"Castle!" Beckett interrupted loudly. Her eyes were wide.

"Sorry," Castle mumbled with a sly smirk. "Hey, so I'm told I was pretty drugged up last night. I don't remember a thing. I didn't say anything too weird, did I?"

Beckett froze at his words. "You, uh, you don't remember anything?" She tried desperately to sound calm.

"Other than some lovely blinding pain and confusion, nothing."

Kate couldn't help it… She was disappointed. He didn't remember a thing.

"Kate…" He interrupted her thoughts suddenly. "What did I say?" He asked, his smile fading.

Beckett quickly brought it together and decided to play it cool. "Oh, you didn't say anything too bad. You only… declared your undying love for me, you know…" She worked to keep her face serious.

Castle took a quick breath and ended up coughing uncontrollably for a moment. "I did what?

"I'm kidding!" Beckett said through her laughter.

The man took an audible sigh of relief. "Good. Because that would be, um, ridiculous." He said awkwardly. Castle obviously tried to recover smoothly. He didn't.

"So I didn't do anything weird?" He asked, now more curious than ever.

"No," Beckett said while discretely avoiding eye contact. "No, you didn't."

The emotions on her face told a completely different story.

Castle realized this but figured he was just paranoid. Of course he hadn't done anything. After all, he could keep it together. Yeah. Definitely.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I'm going on a school trip for a few days, so this will be the last update for several days. Enjoy! Please comment and let me know what you think. Every time I get a review it makes my day. I kid you not… EVERY TIME. So review, review, review! I'll work faster with more review motivation! Thanks for reading!


	9. The Situation

**Author's Note: **I'm back from my school trip. Yay! The first thing I did was rush to type this chapter up. It's quite short and not much really happens but it's a setup so I feel it's important. Please enjoy and let me know what you think. Reviews inspire me.

* * *

"But Beckett I'm tired of hospital food. I don't want to eat that." Castle drawled his words out in the whiniest voice possible.

"Richard Castle! I have picked you up different obscure foods for breakfast, lunch, AND dinner for 3 days now. You only have to eat hospital food for one meal. Just be quiet and eat!" Kate flipped her hair over her shoulder and looked pointedly at the man in the hospital bed.

"It's gross." Castle replied, pouting and crossing his arms stubbornly in front of him.

"Shush. I have paperwork to do." She looked down at the stack of papers on the small table in front of her and realized just how much Castle's injury was affecting her work.

He'd only been in the hospital for 3 days but already everything was piling up. Beckett spent nearly all her time with him. She would drop by the office for her case, take Castle breakfast, attempt to focus on the case, take Castle lunch, again attempt to focus on work, take Castle dinner, and stay with him until she left to go home.

There wasn't much time to actually work there. She had tried discussing the case she'd had with him but they hadn't been able to really get anything done in the room. Ryan and Esposito had taken over and done a fine job. Beckett would really have to keep their help in mind.

Fortunately for her job, Castle was set to go home tomorrow morning. The doctors had kept him several days to be sure he was healing okay internally. They had protested when he'd asked to be sent home, but he had pulled some strings using what he called "super writer powers" and now he was being let out.

Of course, there was one flaw in his super writer plan. The doctors insisted that someone stay with him at all times for at least 2 days. They were worried that he would strain himself too much. He needed to stay calm and preferably stay in bed.

Alexis, of course, had to go to school. Castle had talked her into returning although Beckett knew the girl would much rather stay with him.

Martha had jumped at the opportunity to watch over her son but Castle had groaned about the idea so much that Beckett felt incredibly guilty.

That was the reason she'd agreed to stay with Castle.

It was ridiculous really. She'd only agreed to stop Castle's complaining. She regretted the decision already. Staying in Castle's apartment, tending to his needs, keeping him calm… Yes. Regret. She regretted it. That's what it was.

She certainly wasn't looking forward to it. Nope. Not at all.

Beckett had already talked to Montgomery about the situation. He hadn't been completely thrilled but he had compromised and given her a huge stack of paperwork to complete while she was gone. It was disheartening, even if it was fair.

Castle was all too pleased that Kate was coming to stay with him. In fact, he never missed a moment to make an inappropriate joke regarding the situation. Just yesterday he had giggled, literally giggled, when the girl asked where she'd be sleeping.

It was ridiculous really.

And Beckett still wasn't clear on where she'd be sleeping.

Either way, the next 2 days were sure to be some kind of an adventure. Sure, Castle and Beckett spent a lot of time together, but they didn't spend _all _their time together. They would have to now.

The thought was daunting. But it was a good daunting. Although Beckett would never, ever admit that. As far as Castle knew she was less than enthused about this whole thing. That was enough for now.

As long as he knew that she would **always **be there for him, no matter what the problem was. That was what he needed to know. That was all that really mattered.

"Beckett... This food tastes like fecal matter." Castle spoke suddenly, interrupting her thoughts.

"Castle! Would you just eat the food!" Beckett said. She rolled her eyes and tried not to smile.

He sighed and looked down at his plate. After taking a bite of the mashed potatoes, he glanced up at Beckett. "These are terrible."

Beckett slammed her pen down and stood up. "Chinese or pizza?" She demanded.

"Oh, Kate." He said with a smile. "You don't have to..."

"Chinese or pizza?" She interrupted loudly.

"Sesame chicken sounds grand." He grinned.

"Thank you, dear!" He yelled as she strode out the door in frustration.

A slight smile formed against her will as she heard his words behind her. Yes, the next 2 days would be interesting.


	10. Changing

The following morning was an adventure in itself. Just getting out the door of the hospital became an ordeal. With her arm linked around Castle's, Beckett led the way out the door. He leaned on her slightly for support. He was still in a fair amount of pain.

The two were immediately greeted with a hoard of reporters. Press members surrounded them from all angles. Cameras flashed all around. Luckily Castle had thought to ask the doctors to help him into a suit. He was dressed for the photos.

Despite the surprising attack, Castle was his usual charming self. After answering many questions about his well-being and having to repeat that no, he and Ms. Beckett are NOT dating nearly 100 times, they were able to make it to Beckett's car.

He slid into his usual seat on the passenger's side and sighed in relief. "Want to bail yet?" He asked, glancing over at Beckett who was clearly flustered.

"No. I'm in this." She said simply, fiddling with her seat belt. She didn't sound entirely sure. Reporters were quickly flocking to the car and snapping photos of the two together.

"Imagine the headlines," Kate muttered.

"Richard Castle and his own muse, Katherine Beckett, had finally realized their deep sensual connection. The two were spotted leaving the hospital… together!" He ended dramatically. "It's all got a nice ring, don't you think?"

"Sensual connection?" Beckett rolled her eyes and started the car. It was going to be a long two days.

Castle grinned at her from the other seat.

* * *

In his apartment Castle was greeted by another crowd of people. This group was much more welcome than the reporters.

Everyone from the precinct and of course, Martha and Alexis welcomed him home. They even had a cake which affectionately read "Get well soon, Writer Boy."

Beckett could tell Castle was tired already but he continued to be just as personable as always. He was laughing with Ryan and Esposito when Lanie approached Beckett and pulled her aside.

"Girl," She said loudly. "How could you not tell me that you are staying _here, _with Castle, in _his _house for 2 days?" She demanded.

"Lanie, it's not a big deal." Beckett started to explain but was quickly interrupted.

"No big deal? You're going to be alone with Castle for the majority of two days. Hell girl, that's a weekend together! Who knows what will happen." Lanie smirked and nudged her friend playfully.

"I'm just here to make sure he doesn't push it too hard. We couldn't do anything if we wanted to."

"So you DO want to do something!" Lanie jumped at Beckett's slip of tongue.

"No, I didn't! I didn't mean… I'm here to change bandages. That's all!" Beckett said loudly.

"Bandages located on Richard Castle's bare chest…" Lanie mumbled.

Beckett pushed her friend playfully aside, flipped her hair over her shoulder, and walked away. Stupid Lanie and her stupid, crazy, ridiculous ideas.

A nagging voice in her mind reminded her that she still had no idea about sleeping arrangements. Now what would Lanie say if she knew _that_?

* * *

When everyone finally cleared out of the apartment it was nearly 5 in the evening. Alexis had hurried away to her room due to boredom hours earlier. Even Martha had retreated from the living room.

This left only Castle and Beckett in the room. Immediately after the last guest left, Castle had collapsed onto the couch. He was clearly exhausted.

"Well, that…" He said lightly. "Is not what the doctor's meant by, 'take it easy',"

Beckett looked pointedly at him. She had approached him earlier about pushing himself too far on his first day home but, of course, Castle had stubbornly brushed her off.

He chuckled slightly at her annoyance and tried to hide the cringe from his pain. "I have got to get out of this suit," He said, standing shakily to his feet and heading for the bedroom.

Kate walked into the kitchen and curiously opened the fridge. If she was staying here she'd have to find some decent food. Her search was interrupted by Castle's weak voice from the bedroom.

"Beckett," Castle called.

On instinct Kate reached towards her gun and rushed into the room. She was relieved to find the man sitting on the bed, out of danger. He had already changed into sweatpants but his suit jacket and shirt were still on. He held a white T shirt which Beckett assumed he was planning on changing into.

The usual confident writer looked utterly defeated when he looked up to meet Beckett's eyes. "I know this is weird... I would ask Alexis but she's, well, I don't really like her seeing me like this. And my mother… she'd cause a fuss. The thing is, I can't," He struggled to find the right words and held the shirt in his hand up a bit.

"Castle, here." Beckett mumbled and automatically stepped forward to help. She didn't even think twice before pulling off his suit shirt and sliding off the jacket. She gingerly held the fabric so not to hit his wound.

"Just hard to lift my arms up…" He mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

Beckett ignored his words and found herself staring at the large bandage that covered a portion of his chest. And okay, she might have been admiring his shirtless body. Maybe. A little bit.

Her eyes were always drawn back to the bandage though. She had come so close to losing him. To losing her partner. Everything.

"Kate," Castle said softly, drawing her from her thoughts.

She looked up at him momentarily in panic. "I… sorry." She quickly refocused and grabbed the other shirt to help him put on.

"Oh, it's quite alright," Castle said, instantly lightening the mood with one of his signature, childish grins.

Beckett tried to ignore the warmth growing on her face as she slipped from the room with speed after finishing with the shirt. She would get food. Yes, now was a good time for food. Anything to take her mind of Castle's unbelievably attractive muscular body in the other room.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I need your help here, readers! Do you want me to drag these two days out? I could easily write several chapters just on specific things that happen, much like this one. Or would you rather the days be… say, a chapter each? It's all up to you guys. If you want to read it, I'll do my best to write it! Please let me know and as always, review with your opinion of the chapter. Thanks everyone! :)


	11. Sleeping On It

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the late update. I've been on vacation. Your kind words continue to encourage me. Thanks!

Dinner was surprisingly pleasant. Beckett found that talking to Castle's family was simple and comfortable, even if Martha continuously asked her dramatic questions about her work. That was just Castle's mother. An air of drama always surrounded her.

Alexis was flawless, as usual. Kate realized that she had always liked the girl but upon talking to her more, she found her to be a truly wonderful young woman. She'd said it before, but Castle really had done a brilliant job raising her. Beckett couldn't ignore the fact that Castle was a wonderful father. He was everything Beckett imagined the father of her children should be. Funny and cool, yet protective. Kind, yet strong. Childish, yet wise. And loving. Always loving.

After dinner both Martha and Alexis retired to bed. Alexis claimed she had homework but the familiar twinkle in her eyes made Beckett feel that maybe, like Martha, she just wanted to give the two some alone time. Castle and Beckett settled into the couch.

They were careful not to sit too close. Not touching, but near enough to feel the warmth of each other's body. Castle flipped through the channels until he found a rerun of an old sci fi show called Firefly. He left it there and grinned at Kate. "Ever watched this?"

She studied the TV for a moment before shaking her head. "No... But that guy looks exactly like you. A little more handsome, I think." She said playfully.

"Whatever. I'm way better looking than that guy. You just like him because he's the captain." Castle leaned back into the couch and looked at the TV.

The Firefly marathon was airing every episode and before they knew it, Castle and Beckett were laughing and commenting on every move Malcolm Reynolds AKA Castle's doppelgänger made. Beckett claimed he was brave and charming and daring.

Castle was less than impressed. He found Beckett's infatuation with the character rather annoying actually. He was much better looking. Clearly. In fact, here apparent crush on Malcolm Reynolds soon turned into a point of childish argument.

"He wears goofy pants. I wear professional clothes. Nothing goofy like that." Castle said proudly.

"He has a nice butt." Beckett said through laughter.

"So do I!" Castle nearly yelled.

Beckett looked at him, doubt clear on her face.

"I'll prove it!"

Beckett snorted with laughter as she begged him not to prove anything.

The conversation continued lightly while the show played on. The next time Castle glanced at a clock it was nearly 10 o'clock. Normally this would be nothing to him. The night would be young, but tonight his chest was aching and he was quite tired. As if reading his mind, Beckett yawned beside him.

The daunting question of sleeping arrangements had yet to be answered, but they had to come up sometime.

"Are you tired?" Castle asked in response to her yawn. Beckett rubbed her eyes and nodded with a smile.

"I really am. And you really need the rest. I think it's about time to kick you off the couch."

Just like that she had addressed the question of where she would sleep. Of course, Castle couldn't agree with this arrangement.

"Of course not, Kate! You're the guest here. And a lady." He smiled. "You'll be taking my bed. I'll sleep out here."

Beckett looked at him in disbelief. "Castle. You've just been shot. You nearly died. I understand your need to be a gentleman here, but I assure you, the chivalry is not necessary. There is no way in hell I'm letting you sleep on that couch."

"It seems as though we've reached a dilemma." Castle said, raising his eyebrows.

"It seems as though we have." Beckett agreed.

The two then proceeded to immaturely argue back and forth over who would take the couch. There was no logical conversation, only "I am" and "You are not."

The banter was brought to a sudden stop when Castle unexpectedly retorted with "Well then, you're just going to have to sleep with me."

Normally Kate Beckett would have scoffed at these words. She would have glared or rolled her eyes and gone on with what she'd been doing, but in the heat of argument, she did something that Castle never expected... With narrowed eyes she replied "Fine."

Castle, for once, was completely speechless. His eyes widened and he stared at the girl until she finally spoke again. "Not sleep like sleep sleep." She awkwardly clarified."You know, just sleep. I carry a gun... At all times. You'd be crazy to try anything."

Castle swallowed dramatically both at the thought of sharing a bed with Kate Beckett and the fact that she was able to keep a gun somewhere on her at all times, even whilst wearing pajamas. He was a little turned on honestly.

"Are you even listening to me?" She questioned sharply, noticing how his eyes had glazed over.

"I, yeah... No funny business. You got it. Although if you did happen to want a piece of this," He was just reaching to gesture at his body when Beckett cut him off.

"Castle..." She said threateningly.

His voice suddenly grew very sincere. "Kate, I wouldn't try anything. You know that. Besides... I'm injured, right? Couldn't do much without hurting myself anyway. You can trust me." "The bed is plenty big and much more comfortable than the couch." He said, still trying to convince her that this wasn't a terrible idea at all.

"Let's just go to sleep before I change my mind." She said, leading the way to the bedroom.

Once in the room she stood over the bed, unsure of which side to lay on. Castle helped make the choice easier by sliding gingerly, still wincing as his chest settled into the bed, onto the left side. Beckett crawled in beside him. Again the two were very careful not to touch.

"You know," Castle's voice loudly broke the silence. "I've dreamed of sharing a bed with you many times, but it was never under these circumstances. I must say, I'm slightly disappointed. I'd always expected so much more from you."

"You have no idea." She strongly answered, reminding Castle of so long ago when he'd first hit on her.

Her words took his breath away, just as they had years before.

She laughed quietly at his reaction and turned on her side. "Goodnight."

"Night, Kate." He answered.

Then, so quiet that it was barely audible, Kate spoke again."And I do trust you, Castle. I always trust you."

She could nearly feel the man smile beside her. He didn't answer, but an answer wasn't necessary.

There, sharing the bed together in a way that wasn't intimate or sexual at all, the two were connected.

**Author's Note**: I'm going on vacation yet again tomorrow. I'll try to update as soon as I get back, which will be Friday or Saturday. As always reviews fuel me!


	12. A New Dawn

**Author's Note: **I'm finally home! I'm so sorry about the long wait for this chapter. I've been touring colleges all week. I fell in love with UVA, by the way. Now I just have to focus on getting in, which isn't easy. Spring Break ends tomorrow, so I'll be back at school. That actually means I can update quicker though. I write during class a lot. I know, _real _good way to get into UVA, right? Ha. I know. Thanks always for reading and reviewing!

* * *

The next morning Beckett woke later than she was accustomed to. She stretched her legs out in front of her but didn't want to leave the bed. In a sleepy haze she found that she was slightly cold and in turn, she scooted further into the warm arms that surrounded her.

The body that surrounded her was undeniably comfortable and Beckett found she wanted to be closer.

Still without clearly thinking she turned and muzzled her face into Castle's chest. His heartbeat was nearly audible as she turned her face to his chest. Castle's breathing was slow and rhythmic. It drew her nearer to sleep again.

Wait.

Nuzzled into Castle.

Castle's chest.

In bed.

The events of the night before suddenly rushed into her mind. They were not supposed to be touching. They were just sleeping. Only sleeping.

No funny business. Nothing else. Just sleeping side by side.

Now that Beckett was very, very awake she was aware of exactly what was happening. She was cuddling. Cuddling with Richard Castle.

Oh, this was bad. This was very, very bad.

He was never going to let this go. If anyone at the precinct ever found at she would never hear the end of it. If Lanie found out… Beckett shuddered at the thought. She would be tortured.

The only saving grace was the fact that Castle was still asleep. Still in his arms, Beckett craned her neck to see his face. His face was smooth and he seemed entirely at peace.

Beckett couldn't ignore that she too had slept wonderfully. In fact, she had slept the best that she could remember in years. In Castle's arms she felt safe, whether she wanted to admit it or not. But it didn't matter. Safe or not, she had to get out without him waking up. She could only imagine the awkwardness that would ensue if he woke up. Well, Castle would probably be delighted. The awkwardness for _her _that would ensue.

As silently as she could, Beckett started to slide out of Castle's grasp but as soon as she moved, he pulled her closer into his arms.

Of course Kate knew this was all unconscious. He didn't even realize he was doing this. She couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed at this realization. So what if she wanted Richard Castle to consciously wrap his arms around her?

The man groaned quietly and Beckett was quickly pulled back to reality. It was now or nothing. She was just going to lurch out of his reach and pray he didn't wake up to realize what was going on.

In her mind she counted to three… and wretched herself out of the bed. She nearly tumbled to the ground with the force of the fall, but she was able to gracefully turn her body and land on the ground, crouching stealthily.

To Kate's avail, Castle remained asleep. His eyes fluttered and he shifted, but he didn't fully wake up.

The detective grinned to herself, stood up, and straightened her shirt triumphantly. With one last lingering look at Castle, she headed to the kitchen to find breakfast.

* * *

After Kate had fixed pancakes and set out plates, Castle walked sleepily from the room.

"Good morning." He said with a smirk.

"Morning, Castle." Beckett mumbled, avoiding his eyes.

"Sleep well?" He asked, pouring himself some coffee.

There was an air of humor in his voice. Kate could hear it perfectly. It was as if he knew something. He was keeping some secret…

"I slept fine." Beckett said coldly, deciding to brush off the feeling. She was just paranoid. Of course Castle didn't know anything.

"I slept well too." He said. "It was very cozy. Very warm. Very comforting… Very…"

Beckett's heart sank. He knew. He had woken up at some point of her escape and realized what was happening. Knowing Castle he had probably woken up before her and pretended to sleep. She really wouldn't put it past him. Prankster, he was.

He enjoyed a good laugh and telling the boys at the station would certainly give him one.

"Castle!" Kate interrupted, setting her coffee mug down on the counter loudly.

"Yes?" He grinned.

"We're not talking about it." Beckett answered, her tone sharp. "I mean, it never happened. It… Just please don't tell anyone at, uh, the precinct." She finished finally, letting her guard down enough to truly ask that he didn't open his mouth about this.

Castle took a moment to simply gaze at the beautiful girl before him. He wouldn't tell. She'd worked hard for her respect at work and he would never dream of putting that in jeopardy. Even if it would be fun to let everyone know that Kate Beckett really, really liked to cuddle…

"Okay, fine." He walked closer to her and leaned down so his face was directly in front of her. In a sultry whisper he said, "But I know you liked it. It's alright to admit it. I'm cuddly too." He smiled in the sexiest way possible as he pulled away from her.

Kate felt her face growing red in embarrassment. She was having an extremely difficult time finding any way to respond.

"Let's just go change your bandages." She said finally, deciding that ignoring him was simply the easiest way to handle his words.

After all, he was right. She _had _enjoyed spending the night in his arms. Of course, that was for only her to know though. As far as Castle knew, it would never, _ever _happen again.


	13. The Risk

**Author's Note: **For me this chapter was ridiculously easy and so enjoyable to write. Emotionally, I just really felt it. I think it's an important chapter for the progression of Kate and Rick's relationship and I hope you all like reading it as much as I liked writing it. Please let me know what you think. Thanks always!

* * *

After eating a quick breakfast and seeing Alexis off to school, and Martha to her latest acting endeavor, Beckett was finally able to force Castle into taking a seat to have his bandages changed.

Keeping him still at all had become increasingly difficult and Beckett was growing frustrated with the man.

But after several dramatic death threats, Castle had settled on the couch. Beckett took a seat close to him and lifted the bottom of his shirt.

Castle shivered dramatically at the touch of her hand on his skin. "So cold!" He exclaimed, pulling away from her.

"Castle, just sit still." She said, rolling her eyes.

"You know what they say about cold hands…" Castle said. His grin implied that a dirty joke was on its way.

"Do I want to know?" Beckett asked, trying to ignore the man.

"People with cold hands have warm hearts." He said. His voice turned very genuine very quickly and Kate was caught off guard.

She stopped fumbling with the bandages for a moment and looked up into his eyes. The writer always did have a way with words. He was constantly leaving her speechless.

Beckett broke eye contact, as she often had to, before Rick broke through too much. She had to keep her distance. Castle wasn't a safe bet and Detective Kate Beckett was not the kind of girl that set herself up to get hurt.

When the girl looked away Castle leaned his head back on the couch and closed his eyes and Kate gingerly pressed new bandages to his wound.

He was still in pain. In the mornings he felt considerably sore and anytime Kate's small hands pressed too hard near the bullet's entry he winced slightly.

But he was fine. He could walk, eat, write… He could do everything without help. He could even change these bandages, although it gave Beckett something to do, and he didn't mind her hands on him one bit.

"There!" Beckett said, pulling his shirt back over his chest. She smiled and started to stand up.

Rick reached out for her arm and pulled her softly back to the couch. "Kate, there's something. Well, I have a question."

Panic flooded Beckett instantly. For a split second she imagined Castle kissing her passionately, or declaring his love for her. Her heart rate quickened at the thought.

"Kate… Why are you here?"

Beckett, again, was speechless. She didn't understand why the question was being asked. "I… You're hurt." She said simply, turning her head to the side slightly.

Castle folded his hands in his lap and leaned towards her. "Kate." He said again.

Any time Castle used her first name Beckett knew that he was being serious to some degree. She didn't understand the reasoning for his question, but answering it was proving more difficult than she knew.

Why was she here? After all, Castle was okay. He was able to perform any task. Perhaps at a bit slower pace, but he could still do what he needed to.

"Castle, I'm here because you are my partner." She said with a deep breath. "You're my partner and you got shot. I was with you and you got shot. You almost died, Castle. _Died. _And I was there. I didn't do anything to stop it. I almost lost you and it would have been too soon. I wouldn't have had enough time and I need you, so now I'm here. I'm here to take care of you. I'm here to make sure you don't do something reckless and put yourself back in the hospital. You have a beautiful daughter and a wonderful mother, and I owe it to them to look after you. It's my fault this happened to you in the first place and if you were gone… I just, I don't know what I would do."

Before Kate could catch herself she had spilled everything to Castle. Well, nearly everything. Her eyes filled with tears as her words brought up painful reminders of the night Castle had been shot. An unwanted tear slid down her cheek as she looked up at Castle. Her cheeks burned red as she showed him this open, emotional side of her.

Without a word, Rick leaned forward and brought his hand to the detective's face. He gently brushed his thumb across her cheek and caught the falling tear. Instead of speaking at first, Castle pulled the girl into his arms and held her.

Again Kate was hit with the feeling of overwhelming safety and instead of pulling away from Castle in embarrassment; she leaned further into his arms, relishing the feel of his skin on hers.

"This is **not **your fault." He mumbled into her hair, resting his cheek on the top of her head. "I know the risks of this and I'm willing to take them. You're not getting rid of me, Kate."

Beckett didn't need to reply. She nodded into Castle's chest and closed her eyes, breathing in his scent. His very alive scent. And when Castle mentioned taking risks, Beckett could feel the double meaning.

She was nearly ready to acknowledge it at all. The connection they had, the feelings she had for him, the fact that she maybe, sort of, kind of loved everything about him... She was very nearly ready to take the risk.

* * *

**Author's Note: **So BIG stuff happened in this chapter. Maybe not physically, but emotionally. Please do tell me if you think anything's out of character. I want everything to be as true to the show as possible, just a little fluffier. Thanks for letting me know what you think!


	14. Taking It

**Author's Note: **Thank you all SO much for your lovely reviews. Every time I get an alert, my day is made. You're all completely fantastic. Anyway, on to the next update. Again, HUGE stuff is happening here. I'm still trying desperately to keep this in character. I hope I'm succeeding. Also, forgive me for this being a shorter chapter. That was not intentional. I just really wanted to focus on this one scene. Thanks always for reading and reviewing!

* * *

Instead of leaving the couch, Beckett and Castle settled in and flicked on the television. They watched the news in silence, holding hands.

Despite the news being regularly negative and depressing, they were happy. Castle could have sworn that Beckett was actually smiling while the reporter talked about the loss of jobs, but he knew she'd never admit that.

Halfway through the broadcast a turn of events disrupted the peace. Richard Castle's face flashed up onto the screen.

Kate turned towards him with wide eyes while the reporter told his story. She squeezed his hand tightly without even realizing it.

"Popular crime writer, Richard Castle, was shot Monday night during the robbery of a local restaurant in New York. Castle was in the company of his latest muse, the wildly talked about Katherine Beckett of the New York Police Department."

"Wildly talked about," Castle interjected, playfully nudging Kate.

"Shh!" She said, staring at the screen.

"Castle is at home currently and expected to make a full recovery. According to the media, the biggest story here is whether New York's most eligible bachelor is still indeed, eligible."

A photograph of Castle and Beckett leaving the hospital together flashed onto the screen.

Kate groaned, dropped Castle's hand, and leaned back against the couch in exasperation. She would never, _ever _hear the end of this at the precinct.

Castle noticed her annoyance and turned the TV off. "Kate, this'll pass. Aren't we used to this?"

"No, Castle. YOU'RE used to this! I'm a cop. This isn't my life. This is your life." Beckett's voice grew louder and Castle winced back slightly.

"Maybe this is _our _life now." He answered quietly.

"Castle," Kate shook her head and looked towards the ground.

"No, Kate. Listen. We need to talk about this. We need to talk about us. There's something there. It's been there for a long time. You and I both know it. We need to stop ignoring this. Take a chance, Kate. Take a chance on me." Rick sighed and reached out for Beckett's hand.

She pulled away.

The hurt in Castle's eyes was clearly evident. All of Kate's earlier bravery was gone. Suddenly every fear of being with Castle bubbled to the surface. Every way this could end badly came to mind.

He could cheat on her with one of the many girls that adored him as a celebrity.

He could change his mind, about loving her.

She could mess everything up. Be too cold for him. Or too distant. Or too _her._

It could fall through in so many ways. The possibilities were endless.

But as Rick again reached towards her hand, this time holding it tightly, she realized the one thing she'd been forgetting. The one major point that she had managed, despite being a brilliant detective, to miss…

It could all go right.

The way Kate felt about Castle was new. It was different from the way she'd ever felt about anyone before. Because of that, this could work.

And why not try it? Life was about taking risks, and putting everything you had into them.

Castle had always been there for her. Always. He'd been the most reliable person Kate had and _that _was something.

And that undercover kiss they had shared.

Well, that almost went without saying.

She had expected Castle to be good. After all, he was _very _popular with the women of the country. But **that **good. She hadn't expected their first kiss to be that good. Just the thought of it had her losing her breath again.

Undercover or not, that kiss had concreted the idea in her mind that maybe, just maybe they had a real chance with this. With Josh out of the way, there was nothing standing between them.

Beckett was drawn back to reality when Castle squeezed her hand gently.

She looked up to meet his eyes. He looked at her with more care than she'd ever felt through a simple gaze. Without saying anything she held his gaze.

And in a blink, she was moving towards him rapidly, grabbing his back and pulling him closer.

Their lips met roughly from the force of Beckett's movement, but Castle's response was gentle. Instead of kissing frantically as they had while undercover, they softly responded to each other. Slowly and savoring every taste, Castle leaned closer to Beckett.

He reached up to run his hand gently over Kate's neck and towards her chin, his lips never leaving hers.

Her hands clung tightly around his back, pulling him nearer with every soft kiss.

The heat began to increase when there was no space left between them. Castle's kisses became more frantic and Beckett leaned in further to every one.

So invested in their attraction, the two didn't even hear the door behind them open…

* * *

**Author's Note: **So… BAM. Steamy cliffhanger. Who's mad? Haha. I've actually never written anything like the last bit before, so I sure hope I did the kiss justice. This is pretty new writing for me. I'll update just as soon as I can. Please let me know what you think!


	15. The Next Move

**Author's Note: **You guys. You guys. You guys. Next week's episode is going to be crazy. But more on that at the end, here's the latest addition to my story, which I assure you all is not nearly as intense as the finale will be. I couldn't take all that. Haha! Thanks always for reading and reviewing. You all help fuel added to the fire that is this story.

* * *

"Richard!" A familiar voice called cheerily as the door swung open.

Martha stopped instantly when she saw Castle and Beckett, still kissing, nearly on top of each other now, on the couch.

She surveyed the two for a moment. They were so wrapped up in each other that they hadn't noticed her. Thoughts of young love swept over her until the two began pressing so close that she was actually uncomfortable.

After all, Richard was her son. No one wanted to see their son… Well, doing _that. _Even if she did adore the fact that Richard and Katherine had finally realized their obvious feelings.

"Am I interrupting something?" She called loudly, adding light coughs after her words for emphasis and leaning over the couch to eye the two crossly.

Immediately Castle and Beckett had separated. They were on opposite sides of the couch so quickly that their movement seemed nearly impossibly fast. Rick was completely out of breath and looked extremely uncomfortable. Kate looked straight down at her lap, not knowing how she could look Castle's mother in the eyes.

"Mother," Castle said, not bothering to even pretend to smile. "You're home." He stated simply, also avoiding any eye contact.

"Yes… I left my script here. I needed to pop back in to get it. I'm sorry for… barging in like this on you two." The woman couldn't suppress her grin as she looked back and forth at her son and Kate, who was fixing her hair and pulling her shirt straight in embarrassment.

Castle raised his hand to his face and sighed. "Fine, fine Mother. Just get your script, okay?" He waved her away rudely. Although he was usually very polite, manners were not at all on his mind at the moment.

Martha walked into the other room, grabbed a piece of paper, and headed back towards the door.

"Have fun!" She said brightly, opening the door but still looking straight at Castle and Beckett. "Goodbye…" She shut the door slowly, looking through it the entire time, watching still until her eyes were barely visible through the sliver of open door.

"Oh, and Richard," She added as an afterthought, poking her head back in the room.

"Yes, Mother?" Castle asked sharply. The annoyance was clear in his voice now.

"Dear, why don't you two just go out to dinner? You are injured. Don't be… don't work too hard." She said finally, smiling slyly.

"Mother…" Rick groaned. He knew that was her attempt on being discreet but to his own current dismay, he knew that his mother had never been known for keeping things low-key.

She smiled again at them both and shut the door, finally leaving them alone to face what had just happened.

As soon as the door had shut Kate was standing, gathering her things from around the apartment.

"Kate…" Rick said, standing to face her.

"Castle, I… I need to head into the precinct. I know we can't actually work on a case in the field right now but the guys might need some brain power so I'm going to go in…"

She was rambling. Castle knew exactly what she was doing. He knew this character. His own Nikki Heat... He had written this scene plenty of times to know exactly what she was doing. She was running. They had gotten too close, both physically and emotionally and now she was doing the only thing she knew how to, running from him.

Beckett suddenly stopped talking when she noticed how crestfallen Castle's expression had become. His look was one of sheer disappointment.

"Rick," She said, suddenly catching him by surprise. "I'm just going to get a case. Really." Somehow this simple reassurance was enough for the both of them.

Castle smiled slightly and Beckett, actually trying both to prove something to herself and the writer, leaned in to quickly plant a kiss on his cheek.

"Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone." She said, turning on her heel and ignoring the shocked look she'd received after kissing Castle. His jaw nearly hit the floor.

His eyes followed her loyally as she left the apartment. _His _apartment. The fact that she was here, again, always seemed to surprise him.

He had been even more surprised on how incorrectly he'd judged her. She hadn't run from him at all. In fact, she had done quite the opposite. Just as she always seemed to do, Kate Beckett had completely surprised him.

Despite the risks and the possible repercussions, this was really happening.

Castle and Beckett were slowly finishing their long evolution into… Well, into whatever they were. Labels could be added later. They weren't important now.

Whatever they were, they were together. Or almost together. They were as close as they'd ever come to together. When Kate returned, rather than completely focus on a case, Rick planned on figuring this out.

He wouldn't push too hard, but based on her departure, he had been underestimating her all along.

Kate could handle this. After all, she was extraordinary.

* * *

**Author's Note: **So that got much cheesier than I'd intended. I think it's because I watched the promo and sneak peek for next week's finale and I just desperately needed some happiness. I mean… HOLY CRAP. Next week is going to be insane. Anyway, please let me know what you thought! As always, if I've gotten out of character, please tell me. It's basically my biggest fear when writing fan fiction.


	16. Advice

**Author's Note: **Lanie is not an easy character to write. I hope I did her justice. Let me know what you think!

* * *

In the car on the way to the precinct, Kate finally began to remember all her fears about what was happening with Castle. Back at the apartment, Rick's bright eyes and tender kiss could easily distract her from real world problems. In Castle's presence, taking risks seemed effortless. He made her realize that he was worth it.

Here, on the busy city streets, it was tougher to remember how wonderful the thing she was fighting for was. As her mind raced, thinking of every dangerous possibility, Kate grew panicky at the thought of what she had jumped into.

She really, desperately needed to talk to someone about this.

* * *

When Kate Beckett burst into the white Medical Examiner's room, Lanie nearly sliced straight through the chest of the body she was looking over.

Beckett looked frantic and out of breath, like she'd had some sort of a breakdown before getting there. Immediately Lanie set down everything and pulled her gloves off. Her mind went straight to the worst case scenario.

Something had happened to Castle. This wasn't something Kate could handle. She would need her friend now more than ever.

"Lanie, I need to talk to you." The detective's eyes were wide and Lanie feared what she would say next. "It's about Castle."

Without noticing it, Lanie was holding her breath.

"Don't say 'I told you so' or 'it's about time', just listen, okay?"

Lanie was slightly confused now. What… why would she say any of that?

"Castle's okay?" The Medical Examiner said questioningly.

"Of course… He's fine. What did you think?" Kate said back quickly. "Well, I'd say he's much more than okay, really." A slight blush crept onto Beckett's cheeks.

Lanie suddenly understood what was happening. Writer Boy wasn't hurt. Oh, no. He was very far from hurt. He was the opposite really. Finally, _finally _something had happened with Kate and her partner.

Under Lanie's scrutinous stare, Beckett couldn't help but smile in her guilt. She immediately looked at the ground and tried to avoid eye contact.

"Katherine Beckett, I would know that look anywhere!" Lanie exclaimed, fully understanding now why her friend was in such a panic.

"What look?" Kate snapped, her face stoic again. "There was no look!"

"That was the 'I just had awesome sex that I'm slightly ashamed of' look. Oh, girl, I've seen that before. Don't you even try to lie to me! Honey, I've seen that look in the mirror. I _know _that look. You and Writer Monkey… it's about time, baby. I told you this would happen! I knew it! I thought _I _would burn up from all the heat between you two! Was he fantastic? Oh, I'm sure he was so fantastic…" Lanie sat down breathless in a chair next to the dead body that she'd completely pushed from her mind. After her loud rant and thinking about how "fantastic" Castle must have been, she was nearly out of breath.

"Lanie! Be quite! We didn't… have sex, okay?" Kate lowered her voice in embarrassment at the last words. "And you just said the two things I told you not to say!"

Lanie only grinned at her friend.

"We didn't have sex!" Beckett was louder this time, almost yelling in her frustration.

Lanie's shoulders drooped. She could hear the honesty in Kate's voice.

"We kissed…" Kate said, immediately raising Lanie's spirits back up. "And it was… fantastic." Beckett added quietly, blushing red again.

"Tell me everything, girl. Circumstances, how many kisses, where, why, every dirty detail… Spill!"

Beckett took a deep breath before speaking. Lanie's enthusiasm was actually extremely tiring. "Well, we were sitting on the couch and the topic of "us" just sort of, came up. I don't know, Lane'. It just happened."

"Only one kiss?" Lanie asked quickly.

"Uh…" Kate said awkwardly.

Lanie started smiling wider.

"More than one. I mean, um, when it ended I was sort of on top of him." Beckett averted her eyes.

Lanie's eyes widened with excitement.

"It was moving fast, Lanie. Probably too fast. I just keep thinking, what if this is a terrible idea? What if he ends up cheating on me with some beautiful other girl? What if it ends badly and we lose our friendship? What if…"

"What if you don't go for him, and Castle moves on? What if you lose your chance, Kate?" Lanie broke in with a serious tone.

Beckett raised a hand to brush her hair away in exasperation. "I don't know…" She said in a voice that was barely audible.

"Don't run away from this, honey. You've got something with Castle that I don't think you've ever had before. He loves you. Girl, I _know _how scary that is to hear, but it's true. You know it. He knows it. Everyone can see it. Don't miss a chance on something that could be extraordinary just you're a little afraid."

"I'm a lot afraid." Kate replied, trying to wrap her head around everything her friend was telling her.

"I know you are, but if Castle does _anything _to hurt you in any way, I will personally kick his ass. And I know Ryan and Esposito would be happy to help." Lanie reached for Kate and pulled her into a hug.

"Thanks, Lanie." Beckett said after releasing the girl.

"Now you go back to your man!" Lanie said with a wink.

Kate rolled her eyes as she turned around to leave, but she didn't bother to deny anything.

She was heading straight back to Castle's place. Sure, she hadn't been entirely truthful when telling him where she was going, but she needed terribly to talk to a friend about all of this.

Lanie always knew the right words to say and if she was on board with this, well, Beckett was too.

* * *

**Author's Note: **So there you have it! I know there was absolutely no cute Caskett in that chapter, but I feel like a talk with Lanie is always necessary. After all, she is Kate's go-to girl. Please let me know what you think. I'm never confident in writing Lanie, but she is such a fun character to be. Thank always for reading and reviewing!


	17. Their Moment

**Author's Note: **I won't lie. After that fantastic finale, this story has been incredibly hard to write. It has been tough getting my mind on anything else, especially a piece as light as this one has become. I have written a post-Knockout fic to help with all these thoughts. I would love for any and all of you to click on my name, and check out "After the Storm". It's the fic that I'm currently really invested in and I'd love to gain a few more readers for it. But enough of that, without further ado, here's the story you're here for. Please enjoy and let me know what you think!

* * *

The entire time Beckett was gone, Castle sat motionless on the couch. His head was swimming from the events that had recently taken place. So many questions filled his head and he didn't have the answer to any of them.

What were they? Would this work? How would they handle things at the precinct? How would they _ever _be able to share the same bed tonight without making a mistake? Would it even be a mistake? Would Kate regret this?

With every thought Rick grew more and more anxious about Kate's return. On one hand, he needed desperately to talk to her. They needed to set things straight.

On the other hand, he had no idea what to say. Despite making words sound good together for a living, he couldn't find a way to start this conversation with Beckett.

She rendered him speechless.

As if on some kind of cruel cue, a quiet knock sounded from the door. Castle groaned inwardly as he headed to let her in. He wasn't ready for this. Richard Castle, an award-winning, famous author, didn't have the words for this conversation.

He opened the door to find her looking confidently right at him. She stepped in without further invite. After setting her things down she turned to face him directly.

Castle opened his mouth to speak; to try to find some way to ask what this was, but Beckett beat him to it.

"Castle…" She took a deep breath and stepped another foot closer to him. Looking up into his eyes, she took the leap Lanie had encouraged. "You don't need to say anything. Not yet. I don't know what we are. Or if this will work. I don't know if it's a terrible decision. All I know is that maybe it's not. We have something, Rick. There's something here. Everyone knows it. I feel like we should jump into this, headfirst. No regrets. We should take this chance. I think we've been waiting around for the perfect moment, but that doesn't exist. _This _is our moment. Now. Right here. We have this chance to be something extraordinary. I'm not a famous crime writer," She took a moment to smile slightly here. "I'm not great with my words. All I know is that I want this to happen. I'm not running from it. I'm not fighting it. The last thing I want is to look back and have regrets about how we handled things. Let's do this, Castle."

By the end of Kate's speech Castle was absolutely stunned. She had done what he couldn't. She had put into words, beautiful perfect words, everything that he had been thinking.

It was time to stop dancing around the truth. If being shot had shown him one thing it was that life is too short to waste not being with the one you want, or need, to be with.

Anyone could be ripped from the earth at any time, and Castle didn't want to waste what he had. This was their moment. Right here. Whether the timing was perfect or not, this was it.

If she was willing to take this risk, then hell, he was more than ready.

"Let's do this thing." He said, raising an eyebrow and instantly lightening the mood.

Kate grinned up at him.

"But Castle…" She said, her face becoming blank. Fear filled Castle's mind instantly. She had changed her mind. Already. She was already regretting her decision. She was taking back her words.

"We can't tell the guys at the precinct." She finished and the writer released the breath he hadn't known he was holding.

"Ashamed of me?" Castle asked, mocking taking offense from her words.

"You know they'd never let me live this down." She said, shaking her head at the thought of her friends.

Castle groaned dramatically but stopped when Beckett playfully pushed his arm.

"So are we…" Rick started to say dating but found it was too heavy. Whatever they were, it didn't really need labels. Labels could still come later. They weren't too important, right?

Kate knew what he was going to say and instead of letting him finished, she interrupted with a smile. "We're partners, Rick." She leaned up and kissed him. Just a quick kiss, as if she wanted to make sure and seal what they had.

Castle grinned and leaned in for more. He was happier than he could remember being in a very long time. They were partners. Just as they always had been and yet, there was something more. Something much, much more.

They were no longer dancing around an issue that everyone could clearly see. It was out in the open and everything was lighter already.

This was their moment. Right here. Right now. They were leaping straight into it. No regrets.

* * *

**Author's Note: **So there you have it! I know Kate got pretty crazy towards the end, but I just needed it after that gut-wrenching finale. I actually like the way it wrapped up quite nicely. I'm not sure if I'll be continuing this story. I don't know where I'd take it and inspiration has been striking me for "After the Storm" lately. Everything will just depend on my inspiration and of course, the response from all of you. If enough people demand more, I suppose I'll have to give the people what they want. Let me know what you thought and where you think, if anywhere, I should take this story. Thanks always!


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